| Messiah College Falcons (No. 6 NSCAA / No. 5 D3Soccer.com) |
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Location: Grantham, PA
Coach: Scott Frey (17th season, 357-19-20 at Messiah entering the weekend)
2016 Record: 17-2-0, 8-0 MAC Commonwealth
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 17th (2000—present)
Last NCAA Tournament Result: 2015 National Semifinal, dropped 1-1 (2OT, PK) decision to Washington Univ. (Mo.) |
How the Falcons got here: Messiah College won the MAC Commonwealth Championship for both the second-straight season and the 15th time in 17 seasons to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The start to the season was a little rocky as the Falcons gave up five goals and went 2-2 in their first four games, but since that point Messiah has won 15-straight games and earned 13 shutouts. As a team they're outscoring opponents 63-7, and they're outshoot opponents by nearly 16 shots per game (20.1 - 4.4).
Scouting the Falcons: Marisa Weaver (21g, 7a) leads seven double-digit scorers with 49 points and a team-high six game-winners, and she was named the MAC Commonwealth Offensive MVP for the season. First-year midfielder Sunny Gelnovatch, the conference Rookie of the Year, is second on the team with eight goals and 22 points, and her six assists trails the matching total of Weaver and Olivia Snare (4g, 7a). Four other players-- Megan Mansfield (5g, 4a), Erin Sollenberger (4g, 5a), Ellie Lengacher (5g), and Julia Kyne (4g, 2a)-- have collected at least 10 points this season.
The MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Year, DJ Cole, patrols the midfield and supports a defensive effort that ranks No. 15 in the nation in GAA (0.36). Truly, the Falcons have another formidable and stingy defensive unit, with Kayla Deckert and Summerly Merson at the center of the effort.
Keeper Sara Yunez has played all but 47 minutes for the Falcons and holds a 0.37 GAA and .816 save percentage to along with 12 shutouts.
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| College of Staten Island Dolphins |
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Location: Staten Island, NY
Coach: Giuseppe Pennetti (2nd season, 25-9-3 at Staten Island entering the weekend)
2016 Record: 12-4-2, 5-1-0 City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC)
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2nd
Last NCAA Tournament Result: 2015 First Round, lost 6-0 at Messiah
How the Dolphins got here: Staten Island is making their second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance after winning their second-straight CUNYAC Championship. And, to keep the theme going, they will face Messiah in the First Round for the second-straight year.
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Scouting the Dolphins: Staten Island has put together another solid campaign under second-year head coach Giuseppe Pennetti. The Dolphins have won 12 games, and they've outscored opponents 55-13. Three of the Dolphins four losses have come by a single goal (Kean, FDU-Florham, and conference rival Brooklyn) and their other loss came to Montclair State by a 7-1 tally. Of note, the Dolphins scored just two goals across those four losses, and they averaged just 5.0 shots in those contests compared to a season average of 23.4 shots per game.
The Dolphins have some returning experience from last year's team, but they also have a host of first-year players leading the way. That group includes leading scorer Krystina Rodriguez (8g, 13a) who also leads the team with four game-winners. Classmate Stephanie LaPointe (4g, 6a) is also in double-digit points, as is senior Jennifer Cosenza (13g, 3a) who no doubt remembers the Falcons from last year.
Another first-year player, Nicole Mignone, is in the net for the Dolphins. She's made 16 starts, has 10 shutouts, and carries a 0.81 GAA and .717 save percentage.
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| Buffalo State University Bengals (No. 14 NSCAA / No. 25 D3Soccer.com) |
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Location: Buffalo, NY
Coach: Nicholas DeMarsh (15th season, 134-113-35 at Buffalo entering the weekend)
2016 Record: 17-1-2, 9-0-0 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC)
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 1st
Last NCAA Tournament Result: n/a
How the Bengals got here: Buffalo State won their first-ever SUNYAC Championship and is appearing in their first-ever NCAA Tournament. Their 17 wins is a new program record, and they're riding both a 14-game win streak and 15-game unbeaten streak; the Bengals have not trailed in any of their past 15 games.
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Scouting the Bengals: Buffalo State has scored just 36 goals this season, but they've also relented just nine goals to their opponents. Senior Melissa Smith (15g, 7a) was named the SUNYAC Tournament MVP and leads the way with 37 points a team-high eight game-winners. Tianna Hatch (8g, 1a) and Catherine Mammoser (5g, 7a) have each tallied 17 points to round out the double-digit scorers.
In goal first-year keeper Taylor Carillo has played every minute and collected a school-record 13 shutouts. She holds a 0.44 GAA with a .855 save percentage, and one point this year she put together eight-straight clean sheets.
Of note: Buffalo State and Messiah have one common opponent from this year-- Misericordia. The Bengals lost 3-0 to the Cougars on Sept. 11, and the Falcons defeated the Cougars 4-1 on Sept. 24 .
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| Montclair State University Red Hawks |
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Location: Montclair, NJ
Coach: Patrick Naughter (7th season, 105-25-11 at Montclair entering the weekend)
2016 Record: 15-3-2, 9-1-0 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC)
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 7th (2004, 2006, 2012—present)
Last NCAA Tournament Result: 2015 Second Round, 3-0 loss at Messiah
How the Red Hawks got here: Montclair State earned an at-large bid to the Tournament after dropping a 0-0 (2OT, PK) decision to Rowan in the NJAC Semifinal. Rowan also handed the Red Hawks one of their three losses this year, 3-2. |
Scouting the Red Hawks: Montclair is no stranger to the NCAA Tournament, and no stranger to Messiah. This marks their fifth-straight appearance in the NCAA postseason, and last year they lost to the Falcons in the Second Round.
The Red Hawks hold a 63-11 advantage in goals scored this season, though they're outshooting opponents by a small margin-- 14.4 to 9.1 shots per game. First-year players Emily Benders (13g, 8a) and Christine Mayorga (10g, 3a) lead the way with 34 and 23 points, respectively, and they've also combined for six game-winners. Benders has four goals in her last five games alone. Senior Jennie Hornstra (10g, 2a) is third on the team with 22 points and she's put through four game-winners of her own.
Two keepers share time in the net: senior Alyson Burns (0.84 GAA, .831 saver percentage) has played more minutes but sophomore Molly Barrow leads the pair with a 0.12 GAA, .952 save percentage, and seven shutouts. Barrow has also started and played every minute in three-straight (and four of the last five) games. |
